The Hunting Games
by lizzydhamp1901
Summary: When Dimitri Belikov agrees to his old mentor's job offer, he doesn't know what he's in for. Trouble awaits him in the form of Galina's mysterious daughter, Lucia. When he hears something he never wanted to know, what will Dimitri be forced to do? DPOV4
1. Chapter 1

The day I heard that Rose had died, it was raining.

Nathan was explaining the logistics of the attack (which Galina had hurriedly told me about) in more detail – how they had managed to scramble in, the number of humans that had aided them, and the casualties. As he was recounting the many fights he'd had, he mentioned having heard something about the Dragomir princess.

"Really? How?" I prompted.

"Well, I saw the princess during her years on the run, back when I was human. She lived in the same apartment building as me, she and another little girl, one with dark hair…" Nathan paused for a moment, remembering. "Anyway, I fought against the dhampir kid."

I imagined the pitiful weakling next to me sparring against Rose and wanted to gag. "And?"

"She refused to say anything useful. It was like she was _trying_ to be aggravating."

As far as I was concerned, _he_ was the one who was being aggravating. "_And_?"

He shrugged. "I killed her."

My stomach clenched painfully. I felt hot, heavy, _liquid_ anger flow down my spine. A growl rippled through my throat.

_Mine._

Instants later, my fist had collided with my creator's ugly face. Taking advantage of his surprise, I landed a good kick on him before he could retaliate by rolling me under him and biting my chest.

Roaring my fury out to the world, I grabbed Nathan by the hair and slammed him face-first into the ground beside my shoulder. The night itself was shaken. Newborns gathered around us to watch.

I didn't know I was capable of that level of blood thirst, of unadulterated hate. I didn't even know where it came from, where I had been hiding it for so long, but there it was, out in full force, churning inside of me like volcanic lava.

Suddenly, two capable hands seized my shoulders and tossed me into a copse of trees like I was weightless, right when my teeth were about to sink into Nathan's neck and end his pathetic existence once and for all. I immediately pulled myself into a crouch, a creature possessed.

Lucia planted herself firmly between me and my bleeding opponent, red eyes blazing. "What is going on here," she asked, and it was more of a threat than a question, her voice so low and menacing a chill ran through me. I knew that, thin as she was, Galina's daughter was much stronger than I could hope to be.

"He fucking attacked me." Nathan spat, shaking dirt off of him. "I didn't do anything to him. I've never done anything to him."

Lucia's expectant gaze found mine. "Well?"

"He killed Rose Hathaway." I said, even though it killed me.

"And that is a problem because…"

I exploded. "She's mine! _Mine_. You had no right to touch her, you filthy son of a bitch."

"Have you lost your fucking mind?" Nathan gaped. "If I hadn't been the one to kill her, she would've been fucking dinner, you asshole. She's a dhampir. We kill those awful things, remember?"

"Not her." I insisted.

Lucia wouldn't be quiet any longer. "You listen to me, Belikov. I don't care if that girl was your girlfriend, your wife, or your fucking mother. She is dead because Nathan saw it fit to kill her, and _you_ are going to shut the hell up and be quiet unless you want to be six feet under with her, too. Have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal." I muttered.

But that didn't stop me from sending the blonde bastard a withering look before storming up to my room.

0oO0oO

That night, I refused to hunt, even though I felt ten times stronger every time I did. My little games, I was certain, would not give me any pleasure right then. I stared out my window blankly, robotically, and I saw the moon cast her light over the world, and I felt my soul was being tinted the darkest blue imaginable.

For the briefest of moments, I wanted to die.

I looked at the swaying grass of the surrounding fields, and thought that I could no longer compare them to Rose's graceful walk. I remembered black eyes, those most haunting eyes, and the spaces between the stars suddenly seemed full of sorrow in their emptiness. I thought of Rose, and of her twinkly full laugh, and if there was a sliver of humanity still in me, I felt it shrivel up and die with her.

0oO0oO

* * *

**Okay, people. I know it's short, and I know the wait was long, but, bear with me. I failed the College-Level Math section of the CPT by two damn points, and now studying is taking up every spare minute I have.**

**So, Nathan lied. Why? Because he's a bastard, and he's full of himself. And, yes, Dimitri IS sad. He's also extremely pissed off. He may be a Strigoi, but I think BP really showed us that the Moroi have exaggerated a lot of things. Yes, Strigoi are evil bloodsuckers. So what? They have feelings, too.**


	2. Chapter 2

What do you do when someone dies? I think that's definitely one of the hardest questions humanity has asked itself. Do you just stop living? Mourn in painful silence? Shriek defiance at God?

Everyone deals with grief differently. My mother locked herself up, Karo cried herself dry, and Sonya ate everything she could her hands on.

Me? I fucked Lucia.

Was that wrong of me? Yes. I know that now. But I also know that pain can render us irrational, and vengeful.

And that, dear readers, is why I didn't hesitate to grab Nathan by the neck the moment the rumors reached me.

The whole Strigoi world was buzzing with them. They were passed from bloody mouths in slippery dark alleys, fearful eyes darting around in an attempt to conceal them. There were whispers of a gorgeous brunette spreading death with her dark eyes and quick stake.

And so I knew. The minute Galina told me, I knew. Because, really, how many deadly, beautiful women are there in the world?

Plus, Rose _does_ have the rather endearing habit of turning heads wherever she goes.

My hands tightened, turning Nathan's skin a purplish-blue as I called him a lying son of a bitch. He gasped. Blood spurted out of my grip, that thick, sluggish blood characteristic of my race.

It took three competent newborns, Lucia and an earth-shattering slap from Galina to tear me off of him.

"What is your problem?" Galina barked, cheeks flushed beneath her icy pallor. "This is the second time in one week, Belikov_. One week_. I wouldn't have turned you if I'd known you were going to be so volatile all the time."

"He lied." I spat.

"We all do." Lucia said.

Galina blinked. "And _what_, pray tell, is so horrifyingly awful about this lie that you just _had_ to destroy Nathan's neck?"

"He said she was dead. Rose Hathaway." I panted. "He said he killed her."

"Hathaway?"

I nodded. "Janine's daughter. The girl from the stories."

Galina considered the information. "It might've been better for us if he had."

"No." My old mentor looked at me inquiringly. " No. It would've been better for us if he had _turned_ her."

Almost immediately, Galina's eyes were shining with greed. She could, I knew, understand how valuable a well-trained Guardian could be, especially when murder and strategy were in her blood. "Ibrahim and Janine's daughter," she murmured.

"She has talent." I nodded.

"And how would _you_ know that?"

I gave her my coldest smile. "I trained her."

"Did she show promise?"

"She won a fight with me, once."

Galina turned to her daughter. "Spread the alarm. No one messes with this girl unless she's trying to kill them. And if they can, I want them to bring her back. She's ours."

Lucia promptly vanished, a sulky Nathan trailing after her. I turned over the word in my head. _Ours_.

I didn't even bother to tell Galina I wasn't willing to share.

* * *

**Passed the CPT! Now I'm on my way to NYC for a week, so maybe the next update will be on sunday? I'll try! This is hard to write, though.**


	3. Chapter 3

There was a smile. It was _precisely_ the kind of smile that looked like it was just bursting at the seams from holding back too much joy, that was flirty and nice and quite pretty, and made you want to give the bearer a kingdomful of stars.

But what was really charming was the girl. _My_ girl. The one with the smile.

You could see it in the picture, lurking below the surface, like the school photographer had caught her just before she gave in to the laughter that invariably followed.

Galina wanted us to do everything possible to find Rose, even if it meant handing out flyers like she was some kind of lost puppy. The task of finding a photograph had obviously fallen to me, since I was the one who "knew her best." If Lucia knew how well we'd gotten to know each other, she probably wouldn't be so excited about our coming addition. Still, I hadn't been able to find anything except for an old yearbook photo. Curse Rose and her unexplainable hate for an updated Facebook.

I looked at the picture in my hands, I looked at a fifteen-year-old Rose. The one before the accident. Before the madness. Before the pain. I looked at her, and I could tell she was innocent, and rather too naïve and trusting, though she would've died before she let her bad girl façade drop. It was a Rose that hadn't known pain, or betrayal.

A Rose that had not killed and been killed.

I looked at that picture, quite seriously, and thought that no one would recognize her now.

0O0

She was moving around. We got a new call every week, each from a different city – Alatyr, Kyakhta, Yuzha, basically every place she could possibly think of. And every single time I almost grew wings and flew there, like the lovesick idiot I once was. But she was always gone.

I was a fucking Strigoi and she _still_ found ways to avoid me.

Originally, the whole point of coming to Russia had been to stay the Hell away from my the one weakness in my armor, but that was clearly going to be harder than I'd counted on – especially since certain parts of my anatomy seemed to have a need to be closer to her than was advisable.

Besides, I wasn't going to let anyone kill her, much less rape her. Turning her Strigoi was apparently the only way to stop that from happening.

Yes. I was going to enjoy seeing her again, infuriating bitch that she was.

Galina had such an uncontainable thirst for power, she would have agreed to anything that made her stronger – which was why she certainly didn't mind sending all her henchmen out to scour through Russian alleys for a girl.

The girl with the talent that could change the world.

0O0

I was in Reutov, trying to wait out the sun in one of a thousand luxurious hotel rooms, when Marlen appeared.

Out of all the people I had expected to come, Galina's man-whore was the least likely one.

"Going out in daylight? How very brave of you, Marlen." I said dryly, stepping aside to allow him in. "You must have something important to tell me."

He nodded frantically. "I saw her."

My back stiffened. I kept my face blank. "And who would this mysterious 'her' be, precisely?"

"The girl. From the picture." Marlen explained, like he thought I set up WANTED posters for thousands of women every day. "The one with the dark hair."

"I know who you mean." I snapped. "How did this happen?"

I had to ask. Because, handsome or not, Marlen really wasn't a very capable man.

"She was with others. Three men and a woman. I tried to bring her back, but they were too many."

Oh, the wonder that is incompetence.

"Five dhampirs were too many for you, Marlen?" He flinched. "Unsurprising, to be honest. What I'd like to know is how you got out of there alive. This woman isn't known for her mercy towards our kind."

"She put a stake to my neck." He rubbed the offended area pensively. I thought that a stake was going to e the least of his problems if he didn't hurry. "She said her name was Rose Hathaway. She said to tell you that Rose Hathaway was looking for you."

I fought against the sudden impulse to dig my fingers into his arm. "_And then_?"

"She let me go." Marlen pushed hair out of his eyes. "I tried to capture her again, but, damn. She's _good_."

"You have no idea." I muttered.

So Rose was looking for me. Not such a shocker, really. After all, she _had_ promised to kill me if this ever happened – and, like the stubborn donkey she was, nothing was going to stop her.

_Well, nothing except me, that is._

But Marlen had a point. She was good. She'd always been. Good enough to defeat me once, as I'd told Galina. If anyone could kill me, it was her.

Then again, I _did_ have inhuman strength and speed, now. And I was stronger than I had been two weeks ago – the benefit of nearly incessant sadistic hunting.

I regarded Marlen carefully. "Where did his happen?"

"Novosibirsk."

"Ah. Surprisingly close to home." I smiled.

"I was hunting. I didn't recognize the girl, at first. Not until she spoke to me." Marlen admitted.

By that point, I couldn't have cared less about the details. "Do you know where she is staying?"

He wrote down an address. "I followed her here. That is all I know."

Soon after that, he was gone, and I was left staring at the piece of yellow paper that would end Rose's life.

0O0

A short plane ride later, my feet touched Novosibirsk once more. The city was an important one, and, like all big cities, it was confusing, crowded, and reminiscent of New York.

I was too anxious to care.

Rose was apparently staying in a gray apartment building – not particularly nice, but not on the horrible side of town, either. As I'd arrived relatively near dawn, I had to kill the couple living on the floor below her and make camp there.

The hours dragged by amidst bad TV and pacing, but night eventually arrived, stopping the torture. I still had to wait, tough – which I did sitting in the alley at the building's right.

I saw her barely five minutes after I'd come out. She, a man, and a woman were heading for the building, and they would pass right in front of me. Counting on the shadows to make me unrecognizable, I leaned towards the street.

Sure enough, Rose walked past me without a glance. It took everything in me not to reach out.

Somehow, I'd forgotten how beautiful she was. Her hair was longer, brushing the middle of her back. The skin was a creamy flawless, and her eyes stood out sharply against it, almost invisible beneath thick lashes.

How she didn't sense my hungry stare is remains beyond me.

Soon, her back was turned to me. I emerged from my hiding place reluctantly. The street was deserted except for the ancient, insane woman that had been prowling the pavement all day long.

And Rose… Rose stopped to talk to her.

The calm that settled over me was otherworldly. This was it. This was the moment I'd been longing for. Slowly, careful not to make noise, I walked over until I was standing behind her.

The old woman gasped.

Rose turned.

She smelled of her usual perfume, only this time, it was tinged with adrenaline. I licked my fangs. Her hair whipped around with the force of her movement, splayed across the air. Her stake was out in seconds. Her eyes met mine.

Rosemarie Hathaway recognized me.

Her lips parted in tantalizing shock. She drew in a breath. "No…"

A moment of hesitation, of drinking me in. I let myself stare at the incarnation of beauty for a sliver of life and spoke.

"Roza. You forgot my first lesson: don't hesitate."

With that, I punched her in the head. Someone screamed. I caught Rose's body before she could fall to the pavement and gathered her into my arms.

I kissed her forehead, I looked at her face, tiny beside my hands, and felt alive again.

Somewhere, a door slammed, and we whipped out of the city as quickly as my legs would allow, a triumphant villain and the girl he'd once loved, finally together.

* * *

**Phew! So, what did you guys think of the last line? Too much?**

**Anyway, this should progress much more quickly now that my darlings are together again. It was about time, huh?**

**Lots of love! (REVIEW!)**


	4. Chapter 4

Galina herself opened the front door of her mansion for me. "Do you have her? Do you? My God, Dimitri, are you sure she's still alive?"

I stopped to listen to her breathe. "I'm sure. Where can I put her down?"

"Marlen had a room prepared." My ex-mentor said, nodding towards her lover. "Oh, and Lucia took the liberty of buying some clothes for her. She's terribly fond of shopping, you know."

"I figured." Everyone was silent after that. Marlen led us to one of the bedrooms on the fourth floor.

"This is it." He said, motioning towards an industrial-looking door with a keypad installed on the wall beside it. "I have the codes written down – I'll give them to you later."

"Codes?" I asked. "As in, more than one?"

The door swung open to reveal another one, like we were in some kind of bank. Galina nodded. "Good thinking, Marlen."

He blinked. "Thank you."

Once again, a code was punched in – only this time, luxury lay behind the door. Marlen parted the sheets so I could set Rose down. She mumbled something, but was ignored.

"As you can see, this place is idiot-proof." Marlen said. "The mirrors cannot be taken down, the furniture has no joints and is made of the strongest materials, and the window is virtually impossible to break. Trust me, I tried."

Galina was not impressed. "And the point of this is…"

"Well, she has no way of improvising a weapon." He shrugged. "It wouldn't do anyone much harm, anyway – but she can't kill herself, either."

"Wonderful. I suppose we're all satisfied, then?" She looked at me. I nodded. "Then I think it would be best if we leave the child alone."

With that, we filed out of the room, and Rose was left to the last peaceful sleep she would have in a long time.

0O0

The next day, I opened the door to Rose's room and was kindly received with a chair in the stomach. I hadn't counted on such an amount of resistance so early in the morning.

So, instinctively, I shoved back.

Rose launched herself at me once more, but I was ready. The chair flew across the room.

_Well. She's already making things interesting around here. Then again, she's Rose Hathaway. What did I expect?_

That was when the kicks began – high and aimed towards my face. It was like fighting one of the Rockettes on crack.

"Rose. You're wasting time. Stop." I said, trying to sound as bored as I could.

As a response, she ripped the DVD player from the wall and sprinted at me, holding it high in the air. I promptly smashed it to the floor, catching her by the wrists.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Roza. Please stop."

She started to kick me again – this was really starting to become the mother of all domestic disputes. I sighed and slammed her against the wall as gently as I could.

"Stop fighting me," I whispered, knowing my hot breath was on her neck. "I'm not going to hurt you."

She squirmed, shoved me, and gasped, "You'll have to understand if I have a hard time believing that."

"If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead." I dead-panned. "Now, if you're going to keep fighting, I'll have to tie you up. If you stop, I'll let you stay unrestrained."

"Aren't you afraid I'll escape?"

"No. I am not." Because, seriously, Rose Hathaway or not, one would need superpowers to get out of such deep shit.

We stood like that, staring into each other's eyes, for what seemed like an eternity. Apparently realizing she had no other choice, Rose relaxed.

"Okay."

For a moment, I thought she was lying. Then I determined that she had no way of hurting me, even if she was, and I let her go.

We stared again.

"Why did you come here?" I finally asked.

Rose blinked. "Because you hit me on the head and dragged me here."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it." I was suddenly filled with burning curiosity. "Why are you _here_?"

"In Siberia?" She confirmed. "I came to find you."

"I came here to get away from you." I blurted.

Rose looked properly shocked. "Why? Because I might kill you?"

I raised an eyebrow and lied. "_No_." The _'you idiot'_ was left implied. "So we wouldn't be in _this _situation. Now we are, and the choice is inevitable."

"Well, you can let me go if you want to avoid it." Rose tried.

I turned around and made myself comfortable on the couch while she leaned against the wall. "Not possible anymore. Not after seeing you now…"

I let myself look her over, promising myself it was the last time.

Yes. I had missed her.

I tried to act coolly indifferent, like she was some sort of statue I was thinking of buying. "You're still as beautiful as I remember, Roza. Not that I should have expected anything different."

She pressed her lips together, annoyed and silent.

I decided to be a good host. "You can sit down."

"I'm fine over here."

I nodded. "Is there anything else you want?"

"For you to let me go?"

"No, Roza." I held back a smile. "I meant, do you need anything _here_? Different food? Books? Entertainment?"

She was horrified. "You make it sound like some sort of luxury hotel!"

I shrugged. "It is, to a certain extent. I can speak to Galina, and she'll get you anything you wish."

"Galina?"

A smile. "Galina is my old instructor, back from when I was in school."

"She's Strigoi?"

"Yes. She was awakened several years ago, in a fight in Prague. She's relatively young for a Strigoi, but she's risen in power. All of this is hers." I said grandly.

"And you _live_ with her?" Rose's voice went from slightly high-pitched to tween-girl squeaky.

She was jealous of _Galina_, of all people.

_Mentioning Lucia is probably not the best idea._

"I work for her. She was another reason I returned here when I was awakened. I knew she was Strigoi, and I wanted her guidance." I lied.

"And you wanted to get away from me. That was the other reason, right?" Rose prompted.

I nodded, not wanting to talk more about the subject.

She caught on quickly. "Where are we? We're far from Novosibirsk, right?"

"Yes. Galina's estate is outside the city."

"How far?"

I smiled again. "I know what you're doing, and I'm not going to give you that sort of information."

"Then what are _you_ doing?" Rose demanded. "Why are you holding me here? Kill me or let me go. And if you're going to just lock me up and torture me with mind games or whatever, then I really would rather you kill me."

And though the words were bold, I had no doubt she meant them. Good thing the mirrors were _in_ the walls.

Feeling a little like the Godfather, I began pacing and said, "Brave words. I almost believe you."

Rose lifted her chin rather haughtily. "They're true. I came here to kill you. And if I can't do that, then I'd rather die."

I was silent for a moment. "You failed, you know. On the street."

"Yeah. I kind of figured that out when I woke up here."

Suddenly, I stood in front of her, close enough to be invading her personal space. "I'm a little disappointed. You're so good, Rose. So very, _very_ good. You and your friends going around and taking down Strigoi caused quite a stir, you know. Some Strigoi were even afraid."

Her eyes flashed. "But not you?"

"When I heard it was you… hmm." There was no way I was going to tell her I was fucking terrified. "No. I was curious. Wary. If anyone could have killed me, it would have been you. But like I said, you hesitated. It was your ultimate test of my lessons, and you failed."

Rose gave me no reaction, but promised, "I won't hesitate next time."

"There won't _be_ a next time." I assured her. "And anyway, as disappointed as I am in you, I'm still glad to be alive, of course."

"You aren't alive. You're dead. Unnatural." She answered fiercely. "You told me a long time ago you'd rather die than be like this. _That_'s why I'm going to kill you."

"You're only saying that because you don't know any better. I didn't either, back then."

She let out an impatient huff. "Look, I meant what I said. I'm not playing your game. If I can't get out of here, then just kill me, okay?"

Unable to resist any longer, I ran my fingers down her cheek. She choked a little.

"Killing you…" I murmured, tasting the idea. "Well, it's not that simple. There's a third option. I could awaken you."

I heard Rose stop breathing, whispering weakly, "No… no."

"You don't know what it's like." I began. "It's… amazing. _Transcendent_. All your senses are alive; the _world_ is more alive –"

She frowned. "Yeah, but you're _dead_."

"Am I?" I placed her hand on my chest so quickly, her eyes widened. "My heart beats. I'm breathing."

"Yeah, but… It's not really being alive. It's… it's dark magic reanimating you. It's an _illusion_ of life." Rose protested.

"It's _better_ than life." I took her face in my hands, oh-so-carefully. "It's like being a god, Rose. Strength. Speed. Able to perceive the world in ways you could never imagine. And… immortality. We could be together forever."

Her words were barely audible. This was what she had always wanted, and I was dangling it in front of her like it was a hook. "No… We can't be."

"We _could_." I promised. My finger carved a path down from her chin to her carotid artery. "I could do it quickly. There'd be no pain. It'd be done before you even knew it."

Her eyes darkened. Lips parted, about to whisper in agreement.

The door burst open. I whirled around trapped Rose between myself and the wall protectively. Nathan strode in like he owned the fucking place, his faithful, dog-like servant after him. Inna, she was called.

"What the hell is going on? You're keeping some _pet_ up here?" My douche of a creator spat.

"It's none of your concern, Nathan." I said, because, well, it _wasn't_. "Galina gave me permission."

"Her? She was at the school in Montana… We fought… I would have tasted her blood if that fire-using Moroi brat hadn't been around." He taunted, apparently having forgotten that we'd already had this fucking conversation.

I tried to remain civil. "This doesn't have anything to do with you."

"Are you kidding? She can lead us to the Dragomir girl!" He said, far too excited for the situation. "If we finish that line off, our names will be legendary. How long are you going to keep her?"

I growled, impatient. "Get out. That's not a request."

"She's valuable. If you're going to keep her around as some blood whore plaything, at least share. Then, we'll get the information and finish her."

The bastard clearly didn't recall how close I'd come to killing him a couple of days ago. I decided to take it upon me to remind him. "Get out of here. If you lay a hand on her, I _will_ destroy you. I will rip your head off with my bare hands and watch it burn in the sun."

He bared his fangs. "Galina won't allow you to play house with this girl. Even _you_ don't have that much favor."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't make me tell you to leave again. I'm not in a patient mood today."

Nathan glared at me. I glared back. There was glaring.

Finally, he moved to the door. "This isn't over. I'm talking to Galina."

_Threatening to tell mommy, are we? Such maturity! _

I stepped away from Rose and looked at Inna, who did not understand a word of English and was looking extremely confused. Thank God, or her unwavering love for what had to be the greatest asshole on Earth would've caused me some trouble.

"You can put that down." I told her, the Russian words rolling off my tongue familiarly.

The young woman obeyed, raising the lid to show Rose some pizza and a brownie – I had taken special care to remember food she loved enough to be tempted into eating.

I turned towards her. "Lunch. Not poisoned."

She shook her head. "I'm not going to eat."

My eyebrow rose – I'd probably ordered the wrong kind of food. Figured. "Do you want something else?"

"I _don't_ want anything else because I'm not going to eat anything at all. If you aren't going to kill me, then I'll do it myself."

"By starving to death?" I chuckled. "I'll awaken you long before then."

"Why aren't you just doing it now?" She asked.

I shrugged. "Because I'd rather wait for you to be willing."

It was the truth. Whether I admitted it to myself or not, I owed Nathan something. Rose was not going to have to face that. Hopefully.

"You're going to be waiting a long time." She promised.

I laughed, feeling kind of melodramatic. "We'll see."

And that's when I decided to invade her personal space again and kiss her.

It was heaven. Not that we'd gone without a kiss for so long – in the Academy days, we'd held out much longer. But I'd missed her. More than I ever could've imagined. I'd found that I _needed_ her.

I'd also found out I _wanted_ her.

I made myself pull away and gestured to the servant, who was staring at her feet awkwardly. "This is Inna. She works for Galina too and will check in on you. If you need anything, let her know. She doesn't speak English, but she'll figure it out."

There was no answer. I began to leave.

"Where are you going?" Rose asked.

"I have things to do." _Mainly, the boss's daughter. Gotta keep her happy, you know_. "Besides, you need time to think."

"There's nothing to think about."

I smiled.

* * *

**Okay, guys, guess what? I found a mysterious reader on Facebook (cuz I googled myself and her comment reccommending this on the Official VA Movie popped up). McKenzie F? Are you there? Well, I'm glad you like this enough to tell your friends =)**

**Whew! This chapter was long, so review! Because if I can write crap that's 7 Word pages long, you can write 100 words. Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

_Hudson Williams had Maria in his arms again, for what could be the last time. She clung to him desperately as they waited for Red Feather to come into the cave. The cowboy stepped apart from his love and checked his rifle again, though he knew it would be empty. A war whoop sounded, and the couple waited expectantly to see what would happen next, for they could be saved only through a miracle…_

"What are you doing here?" Rose asked, dragging me back to reality.

"Waiting for you to wake up." I answered, quite calmly.

"Sounds kind of boring." She scoffed, standing up from the bed and crossing her arms.

I shrugged. "Not so boring. I had company."

Rose stared at my book.

"You slept for a long time." I told her. She looked out the window and winced. "And you ate."

"Yeah, well, I'm a sucker for pepperoni." She snapped. "What do you want?"

"To see you."

"Really?" She faked surprise. "I thought your only goal was to make me one of the living dead."

_It's official. I like this girl._

"Aren't you tired of always standing?" I asked, not-so-subtly changing the topic in hopes of her coming closer. And closer. And then spontaneously losing her clothes.

"i just woke up." She pointed. "Besides, if I can spend an hour tossing furniture around, a little standing isn't that big a deal."

"Sitting," I informed her, "Is not that big a deal either. I told you before, I'm not going to hurt you."

"'Hurt' is kind of a subjective term." Rose said, but she still walked over and fell down onto the chair across from me. "Happy, now?"

_Ecstatic, baby. _

"You still stay beautiful, even after sleeping and fighting." I marveled. Then, uncomfortable, I changed topics. Again. This time, however, I decided to play it safe and talk about the clothes I'd had Inna deliver some hours ago. "You don't like them?"

"I'm not here to play dress-up with you." Rose said. "Designer clothes aren't going to suddenly get me on board with joining the Strigoi club."

_Well, a guy can dream. Besides, you never know. Women are exceptionally fond of those damn things..._

"Why don't you trust me?" I asked.

"How can you _ask_ that?" Her voice got even more high-pitched than usual. She was horrified. "You abducted me. You kill innocent people to survive. _You aren't the same_!"

That, I could not deny. "I'm better, I told you. And as for innocent... no one's really innocent. Besides, the world is made up of predators and prey. Those who are strong conquer those who are weak. It's part of the natural order. You used to be into that, if I remember correctly."

"It's different."

_How, exactly? Because I don't see you becoming a vegetarian, and animals have feelings too, you know._

"But not in the way you think. Why should drinking blood be so strange to you?" I wondered. "You've seen Moroi do it. You've let Moroi do it."

She stiffened, still touchy about that. "They don't kill."

"They're missing out on it. It's incredible. To drink the blood of another... to watch the life fade out from them and feel it pour into you... it's the greatest experience in the world." I whispered, remembering.

"It's sick and wrong." Rose spat, but I was lost in the memories I could recall with icy clarity, lost in the sea of sensation each particular feeding had brought me. Suddenly unable to resist, I took Rose's arm and placed her beneath me on the couch.

"No, it's not. And that's where you have to trust me. You'd love it." I assured her. "I want to be with you, Rose. Really be with you. We're free of all the rules that others put on us. We can be together now - the strongest of the strong, taking everything we want. We can eventually be as strong as Galina. We could have a place just like this, all our own."

"I don't _want_ any of this."

"Don't you want me? You wanted me once." I grinned.

"No." And we both knew she was lying.

I decided to humor her. "What do you want, then? To go back to the Academy? To serve Moroi who will throw your life in danger without a second thought? If you wanted that kind of life, why did you come here?"

"I came to free you." She murmured.

"I am free. And if you'd really wanted to kill me, you would've. You couldn't." I teased.

"I messed up. It won't happen again." She swore.

"Suppose that were true. Suppose you were able to kill me now. Suppose you were even able to escape." I chuckled. "What then? Will you go back home? Will you return to Lissa and let her continue bleeding Spirit's darkness into you?"

"I don't know."

"It will consume you, you know. As long as she continues to use her magic, no matter how far away you go, you'll always feel the side effects." I cocked my head to the side. "At least as long as she's _alive_."

Rose froze. "What's that mean? Are you going to join Nathan and hunt her down?"

"What happens to her is no concern of mine" I decided. "_You_ are. If you were awakened, Lissa would no longer be a threat to you. You'd be free. The bond would break."

"And what would happen to her? She'd be left alone." She mused.

"Like I said, that's no concern of mine. Being with you is."

"Yeah? Well, _I_ don't want to be with you." She said fiercely, trying to move her face away from mine.

For a moment, I thought it was true. Hesitant, I moved her face back and peered into it carefully. "I don't believe you."

"Believe what you want." She answered. "i don't want you anymore."

I smiled. "You're lying. I can tell. I've always been able to."

"It's the truth. I wanted you before. I don't want you now." She insisted.

I shifted, and suddenly our faces were close, so close. Agony. "My exterior... my power, yes, that's different. _Better_. But otherwise, I'm the same, Roza. My essence hasn't changed. The connection between us hasn't changed. You just can't see it yet."

Her eyes narrowed. "Everything's changed."

"If I'm so different, then why don't I force you into an awakening? Why am I giving you the choice? And if I'm so different, then why did you kiss me back earlier?" I asked. Her lips parted, then pressed into a thin line. "No answer. You _know_ I'm right."

I kissed her. She shrieked and tried to push me off, but I was not only stronger, I also happened to be three times her size. Rose gave up, realizing the futility of her actions, and then I _kissed_ her, so hard I thought it was gonna leave bruises, but Christ, I felt too good to care. She was perfect, perfect, she was the sun and the moon and all teh gods and goddesses and, holy fuck, she tasted so... So... She was ridiculously addictive, that was the problem. So hot, hotter than anything I'd ever felt before. My stomach twisted in delight as she pressed herself closer, twining her fingers into my hair.

_Jesus, I could eat her. I could eat her right up._

But that would imply breaking the kiss, and that was not something I was inclined to do. So I tried to push myself closer as she shoved her tongue into my mouth...

She pulled away. I died.

"No. No. We can't do this." Rose whispered, frowning.

"Are you sure? You didn't seem to mind." I commented smugly. "Everything can be just as it was before... like it was in the cabin... you certainly wanted it _then_."

_And you better want it now, because God knows I do._

"No. I don't want that." She said, voice crystal sharp. I decided to try again, this time using a different tactic.

I began kissing down her cheek, her neck... a neck I'd been always fascinated by, but never so much as now. Truly, I'd been imagining this moment for quite a while. She gasped involuntarily. "What about this? Do you want this?"

For about a milisecond, I hesitated, but the longing for her - all of her - was fiercer than ever, and I wanted, needed, to know what her blood tasted like, because even if it was barely half as good as her scorching skin, it was going to be heaven.

"Wh- Aah" Her question turned into a whimper as my teeth dug into her flesh.

I let her blood fall down my throat, the greatest elixir, and it was like I was falling in love with her all over again. That deliciously human sensation in the pit of my stomach, a thundering of butterflies, and - wait - was that my heart fluttering? My dead heart? Time, space, both were lost for the briefest fraction of a lifetime as I realized that I didn't give a shit about the future, or the past, so long as I could be with her, because, seriously? Wow. She was perfect, all of her, so fucking sweet and alluring and soft...

I suddenly had to know if she felt it, if she felt it too. I drew away from her reluctantly and peered into her face. Shock. Understandable, after all.

"Why... what... you said it would be my choice." She whispered, sounding like a betrayed little girl even though she shouldn't have believed me in the first place.

"It still is." I panted, my breathing as heavy as hers. "I'm not doing this to awaken you, Roza. A bite like this woun't turn you. This... well, this is just for fun."

And I put my teeth to her throat again, because it was the only way I could feel complete anymore.

* * *

**Don't you love him? I do. Desperately. I don't know where the hell I get this description from, though. Maybe he whispers it in my ear.**

**Just so you guys know, I have a new fic, Sleeping In A Chair, that I do not want to taint with author's notes. I like it that much. It's kinda sad, and placed after whatever happens in Last Sacrifice. A lot of readers have reported heartbroken tears, so I guess you'll like it. Read, my puppets, read!**

**And, I beg you, review!**


	6. Chapter 6

She wasn't the same.

I mean, yeah, she was still gorgeous and funny and occasionally naïve, but that spark in her eyes – that incredible willpower she had – was gone. And I found myself missing her again, which wasn't at all enjoyable, but necessary.

Because, honestly, Rose Hathaway could force her way through a wall of Strigoi if she had to. This was the only way to make sure that didn't happen.

Plus, she tasted seriously good.

So the first day slipped by with me half-drunk on her blood. On all of her, really. That was, of course, when the problems began – because, apparently, the universe has something against us enjoying each other's company.

The next morning – or night, to be precise – I'd found myself too damn hungry to stay inside once more. Rose was thankfully asleep, and I was able to slip out without bothering her.

It took Lucia two minutes to find me.

"Dimitri." She greeted me, a pleasant smile on her face. "Where have you been?"

Good Lord, I'd forgotten all about her, and now she was going to kill me. A chill ran down my spine. Lucia was that particularly terrifying kind of woman that's unbelievably sexy but still manages to look like she's willing to stab you with a polite smile. "In my room."

The smile dropped. "That's not true."

"Oh, right. I was in Rosemarie's room." I corrected.

Her eyebrows lifted. "Why the urgency?"

"She has information… information I feel would be valuable to us if we were to use it well." I improvised.

"I take it you were interrogating her, then?" I nodded. "Were you able to discover anything?"

"No. She's stronger than I had imagined."

"Everyone has a breaking point. A weakness." Lucia pointed.

I considered it. Rose's weakness… What could I use to break her into agreeing? Me? That one wasn't working out so well. Sex, then?

_Eureka._

"I think I might be able to use something." I told her.

"Good." Lucia turned on her heel and headed for the door. Then, before she twisted the knob, she looked at me over her shoulder, smiling. "Oh, and, Dimitri?"

"Yes?"

"I will not tolerate being lied to." She told me, slipping outside before I could formulate a reply.

0O0

That night, hunting was oddly insipid, even though the woman I'd chosen ran like a cheetah and somehow managed to put up a fight.

Being an evil, undead bastard was getting old.

One thing I couldn't get enough of was Rose. I'd returned to find her wearing one of the dresses Inna had provided, brushing her long hair in front of the mirror.

"Green suits you." I told her, creeping closer so I could land a kiss on her temple. She blushed and gave me the sweetest smile I'd seen on her.

"You're back." She sighed. "I missed you. Where were you?"

There were too many women asking me that question lately, I decided. "Just getting something to eat."

She frowned, hurt. "I thought you liked drinking from me."

"I do." I said gently, leading her towards the bed. "I just don't want to take too much blood from you."

Finally, she smiled. "You're so _nice_."

I laughed at the irony. Who would've thought Rose Hathaway would end up calling the Strigoi who was holding her hostage 'nice'?

"You're nice, too," I chuckled, moving in to kiss her. She gasped, twining her fingers into my hair.

This was it. My mind raced. She was at her most vulnerable right now – even though I'd drunk from her hours before, her body was unused to the endorphins, and therefore still reacting strongly. Would she give in? Would the crazy teenage hormones paired with a large amount of convincing get her to give in?

I pulled back, smirked, and told her to take that dress off.

0O0

We were making out. There was no other word to describe it. We were kissing like we were fucking sixteen, hiding from the world under the school bleachers.

It was kind of pathetic, to be quite honest. But also… hot.

Yeah. I'd never been the kiss-girls-to-manipulate-them type of guy, but, damn, it was _fun_. I should've done it more often. I felt reckless, wild, and so deliciously _bad_. Like I was corrupting a minor or something. Or like I was a playboy, fooling around with the straight-A student to win a bet.

"Let me turn you," I muttered, fingers trailing dangerously low on Rose's stomach, near the edge of her too-white panties.

"What?" She gasped, panting heavily.

"Let me turn you." I repeated. "Spend forever with me."

She shook her head, eyes squeezed shut. "No, no…"

"Don't you want me?"

"Yes. God, yes. _Please_." She moaned.

I kissed her again, unable to resist at the sound she had made. One thing I hadn't been counting on was my attraction to her.

Somehow, I pulled away.

"Turn. Turn or we can't be together." _Great. Now it's come to bribing_.

"No. No."

"I thought you loved me." I whispered.

"I do. I always have." She swore. "I always will. But I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't." Rose leaned in to kiss me, but I moved away. "Where are you going?"

"Out," Was the harsh reply.

"No! Don't go. Don't leave me." She stood, following me to the door. "I'm sorry."

I faced her, hand on the electric keypad. "Will you turn?"

"No."

I nodded coldly. "Then I'm going."

But before I did, I grabbed her roughly and sank my teeth into her neck, letting her drop to the floor when I was done.


	7. Chapter 7

"You are so beautiful," I told her, marveling at the perfect angle of her nose, the high cheekbones, the pouting lips. "So very beautiful."

"Mmm." She smiled, eyes closed. "I missed you."

I pressed a kiss onto her temple, making her sigh. "I missed you more."

"No way. After the attack… I couldn't stop thinking about you. Couldn't stop _wanting_ you. It was like someone was going at my heart with an axe." Rose ran her fingers down my face.

"I couldn't breathe." I confessed. "I couldn't concentrate on anything else. You were everywhere."

She nodded. "I know. I know. And I'm _so_ glad you're here."

"Then stay with me. Promise you'll never leave me."

"Why would I?" She laughed. "All I've wanted is you. To be with you… forever."

I buried my face in her neck. "Let me turn you."

Rose's chest moved as she sighed. "Why are you so obsessed with this?"

"Because it's the perfect solution! We could spend an eternity together, able to get anything and everything we wished for, but we _can't_, because you're being unreasonable!" I gripped her face in my hands. "Don't you see it, Rose? It's our happy ending. We _deserve _this."

"No." She frowned. "It's not a happy ending, it's a fucking _curse_. Ouch! Dimitri, stop – you're hurting me!"

I pried my hand off her face. "Let me turn you."

Rose shook her head. "You know I'm always gonna say no."

Furious, I scrambled off the bed and began heading outside.

"Don't go." She pleaded. "Dimitri –"

I whirled around and punched the wall. "Damn you!"

Rose's eyes were wide and terrified.

I stomped forward and lifted her up by the shoulders. "Listen to me. I _will_ turn you, regardless of what you say. Your only choice is whether it happens now or later. And I can make things painful, so you better hope you choose the right one. Understood?"

She nodded and tried to wipe her tears away with shaky hands.

"Good." I dumped her on the bed and finished storming out, ignoring her little-girl sobs.

0O0O

Galina stared at me from her tall chair, as imposing as the queen herself. "So, essentially, you're telling me that after _four days_ locked in a room with a Strigoi, that child is still not willing to turn? Do you seriously expect me to believe that, Dimitri?"

I shrugged. "She's Janine Hathaway's daughter."

"I am aware of that." She answered. "So what? Hathaways can get scared, too."

I sighed. "The problem is that this one seems to be rather fearless."

Galina's eyes narrowed. "Yes. With you. Because she _knows_ you. Maybe we should have Lucia visit her. She can be quite terrifying, if she puts her mind to it. Or perhaps Nathan would be willing to pay Rosemarie a visit. He sounds quite taken with her…"

"I am sure that won't be necessary." I broke in smoothly. "I, too, can be terrifying, when I try to be."

Galina smiled. "Yes, but the question is: are you _really_ trying, Dimitri?"

I left the library feeling even more confused than I had been when I entered. Maybe I _was_ being too soft on Rose, now that she was so much weaker than me. Before, I'd never had to be careful with her – never had to worry about hurting her – but all the fight seemed to have gone out of her, with the bite. And she looked fragile. Tiny.

Honestly? It was pretty fucking pathetic.

It was just so _tiring_. The exact same thing happened every single day. We talked and kissed until I suggested turning her, she had a fit, I got pissed, bit her and then proceeded to leave with my panties in a bunch.

Yeah, okay. We'd gone above and beyond pathetic a long time ago.

Still, I couldn't help but reflect that my life – or, as some insisted, non-life – was gravely fucked up. In fact, it always kind of had been. I mean, who kicks their dad's ass at thirteen? Not that it wasn't pleasurable, per se, but, hell! Things would've been a whole lot easier if he'd just kept his hoity-toity royal paws off my girls to begin with.

And then Rose. With her, things had soon taken a turn for the worse. Mostly because I started hearing voices, yes, but also because, well… she's Rose. A.K.A. Trouble. So I ended up falling for a ghost-seeing, Strigoi-killing, occasionally-bitchy seventeen-year-old girl, and that was clearly not good for either my mental or physiological health – as evidenced by the fact that I turned into what could be described as an evil creature of the night around eight months after meeting her.

Huh. Upon thinking about it, one could blame the majority of my problems on Rosemarie Hathaway, who was currently being held hostage in my room.

And there was only one word to describe the current situation: shit.

* * *

**Ahem. Sorry for the delay and shortness. Please don't shoot me. =)**

***Backs away slowly* And... review? Pretty please?**


	8. Chapter 8

"Look, if you're not interested in this, it's really nothing to me. There are plenty of Strigoi waiting for a chance to get involved in Galina's little business. You're not irreplaceable," I said, as casually as I could manage. "We'll find someone else."

The young one was this close to shaking. "No – I didn't mean – I just wanted to know more –"

"Fine. We'll find someone who'll do the job without asking so many questions." I turned away from the redhead and began stalking my way down the deserted street.

_5… 4… 3… 2… 1…_

"Wait!" Boris cursed under his breath and began running after me. "Mr. Belikov! Please!"

I paused and turned around, fake reluctance coloring my every move. I sighed. "What now?"

"I'm terribly sorry. Please, _please_ let me take this job. No more questions, I swear!" He said.

I pretended to think about it, finally sighing again. "Oh, well. Fine. You can come with me."

As the man – boy? He was only eighteen, after all, and had been turned barely hours ago – followed me quietly to my car, I couldn't help but remember how Lucia had reeled me in. _She_'d gotten to have some fun, acting like we were in some kind of mysteriously melodramatic movie, but Galina wanted this schmuck to think I was _easygoing_.

Yeah. Because easygoing Strigoi were so abundant and cool.

Eventually, I dropped off the idiot – the last task in Galina's nearly eternal list of Things That Must Be Done – and decided that feeding was imperative. However, there was only half an hour until sunrise, which meant the sky was starting to become a rather alarming turquoise-y blue, and I had to be quick. Very quick.

So it was only after I'd finished with the brunette that I realized there had been a little girl behind her.

The child stared at me, horrified into silence, her blonde pigtails and pink ribbons blowing in the wind. Why a woman would bring her young daughter out at such an ungodly hour was really quite beyond me, but that was beside the point. She had seen me feed, and she had to die.

I stepped closer.

"Please," She whispered. "Please, Mr. Monster."

Before she knew what was happening, I snapped her fragile neck with such force, her head was severed. She'd felt no pain, and even if she had, what did I care? She was an innocent, she was surely happy in heaven by now, and if she wasn't, well, boo-hoo. This isn't a fair world.

It isn't fair to anyone.

O0O0O0

I slammed the door with such force, Rose jumped up from the bed, hand on her heart. "Oh, it's you. I thought –"

My lips fell onto hers, drowning out her babble. I was in a bad mood.

"Mmph. What's wrong?" She asked, pulling away slightly.

"Shut up." I groaned, kissing her again. Rose struggled against my arms – something she'd never had to do before. I stubbornly held on to her.

"Dimitri, you're hurting me!" She gasped. Finally, I let her go and watched her shrink slowly away, holding her bruised lips with her hand. She glared at me accusingly. "What is _wrong_ with you?"

A slap sounded throughout the room, and then there was the echo of a whimper, and I was left staring at my hands, unwilling to believe that I was becoming my father, that I was becoming what had been the worst thing in my life.

Rose sat on the bed, shaking violently. "Oh my God. Oh my –"

I grabbed her by the shirt and pressed her to the wall.

"Shut up," I said.

And that was when I bit her.

After I made sure Rose was too high on my endorphins to remember her own name, I set her down on the bed and resumed the kissing – and this time, she was more than happy to do whatever I asked of her. She giggled as she undressed, eyes glassy, and it was like being with a rather ditzy supermodel, which isn't as bad as some people make it out to be, actually.

"Let me see your neck," I began, once she was adequately attired in a blue dress. She immediately rolled onto her back and brushed her hair away.

A frown was on Rose's face. "Already?"

_She must be seriously high if she thinks I just got here_. I thought, reaching into my pocket. I'd been bringing her jewelry for a while, but I'd only bought her this necklace a couple of days before, meaning to give it to her once she turned, but I finally figured right then was as good a time as any.

Rose blinked as the sapphires sent blue light dancing across her skin. I fastened the chain around her neck. "Beautiful. It matches."

She gave me her special-occasions smile. "Where'd you get it?"

For a brief moment, I considered telling her that my latest victim had been reasonably wealthy, but then decided against it. After all, what woman likes to feel second best?

"I have my sources." I grinned back.

Rose erupted into a fit of laughter. "You're just like Abe!"

It was my turn to frown. "_Who_?"

She dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "This guy I met. Abe Mazur. He's some kind of mob boss… he kept following me."

I froze. "_Abe Mazur_ was following you?"

"Yeah. So?" She asked innocently.

"Why? What did he want with you?" I insisted. Mazur… Shit. That guy was bad news. I couldn't stop thinking of all the people he'd _taken care of_, all the illegal things we suspected he was involved in, the network of spies and informants he had spread out across all Europe.

"I don't know. He kept wanting to know why I was in Russia but finally gave up and just wanted me to leave. I think somebody from home hired him to find me." Rose mused.

_Yeah, well, if that guy can be hired, Al Pacino's the motherfucking tooth fairy_. I growled. "I don't want you near Abe Mazur. He's dangerous."

She shrugged. I playfully pushed the dress strap down Rose's shoulder. "Of course, people like that won't be an issue when you awaken."

There was a sigh. "What have you been doing today?"

"Errands for Galina. Dinner." I answered.

"Do you drink from them… for fun?" Rose asked. Ah, jealousy. Would answering in the affirmative make her willing to compete for my affections – hopefully even turn Strigoi? Or would it just push her further away from me?

Deciding that a lie was usually better than the truth, I ran my lips down Rose's neck. "No, Roza. They're food; that's all. It's over quickly. You're the only one I take pleasure in."

"You keep wanting to awaken me… but we won't be able to do this anymore. Strigoi don't drink from each other, do they?"

"No." I admitted, surprised that she had brought the topic up on her own. "But it'll be worth it. We can do so much more…"

She laughed. "Here it comes. The sales pitch. Eternal life. Invincible. Nothing to stand in our way."

I growled, leaning down to stare into her eyes, to make her understand. "It's not a joke. We can't stay like this forever. _You_ can't stay here forever."

As soon as I let go, Rose pulled me closer. "Can't we talk about that later?"

She kissed me. Almost instantly, I broke away. "Come on. Let's go."

I stood. "Where are we going?"

"Outside."

Rose sat up slowly. "Out… outside? But… that's not allowed. We _can't._"

"We can do anything I want." I snapped.

Rose obediently followed me through the doors and into the hallway, where Nathan was guarding the door. "What are you doing?"

I bristled at his tone. "I'm taking her for a walk."

"That's against the rules." He spat. "Bad enough you've still got her here. Galina gave orders for you to keep her confined. We don't need some rogue dhampir running around."

I decided to appeal to the idiot's reason – just in case there were still one or two neurons still left in that empty cranium of his. "Does she _look_ like she's a threat?"

"No," he admitted. "But I was ordered to babysit this door, and I'm not gonna get in trouble for you taking a field trip."

"I'll deal with Galina. I'll tell her I overpowered you. It shouldn't be that hard for her to believe." I grinned.

Nathan's eyes filled with hate. "You're so full of yourself. I didn't awaken you so that you could act like you're in charge around here. I did it so that we could use your strength and inside knowledge. You should be answering to _me_."

I hid a smile and turned away. "Not my fault if you're not strong enough to make me do it."

That did the trick. Nathan lunged at me, and I instantly released Rose so I could slam him against the wall. He flew up, only to be punched – three times, thank you very much. He fell down again, received a kick in the stomach and a wolfish smile.

"Don't try it. You'll lose." I informed him, wiping his blood off on my jeans and retaking Rose's hand. "I told you,_ I'll_ deal with Galina. But thanks for your concern."

I turned around.

"You're not safe! Neither of you is!" Nathan threatened. "She's lunch, Belikov! Lunch!"

_Fucking son of a bitch…_

I don't know how I mustered up the self-control to walk away, but I did. Rose followed along, her hand still carefully entrapped by mine. "Nathan scares me," she said after a few moments of silence.

"He won't touch you. You have nothing to worry about." And I was telling the truth, for once, but I couldn't help but think that the old Rose would have preferred death to admitting something like that, would've remained proud and steady at any cost.

We reached the stairs, and Rose was too weak to go down them. I took her fragile body into my arms – something I'd done many, many times before, but never because she was too weak. I suddenly hated myself for what I'd done. I'd tried to break a goddess into submission, and when that didn't work, I'd drugged her into it, not realizing that what made her stand out from the crowd was the fact that she was utterly indomitable.

And now all I had was a shadow.

Finally, the stairs ended, prompting me to set Rose down as delicately as I could. I led her down the hallway to the majestic double doors that were the entrance to the estate. Marlen sat before them – Galina had obviously demoted him from whore to henchman.

He took one look at us and stiffened. "Rose Hathaway. I remember your name – just like you told me."

Humiliation had made Marlen bitter, that much was clear. He was no longer the pushover I was used to, but he was still a complete idiot if he thought he was going to hurt my woman while I was alive.

And if he thought he could kill me… well, then he was an even bigger idiot than he had been.

Rose's nails dug into my palms as we stepped out into the garden. "He wants to kill me," she observed.

"All Strigoi want to kill you."

She insisted. "He really does… I tortured him."

"I know. He's been in disgrace ever since then and lost some of his status here."

"That doesn't make me feel any better."

"Marlen," I began, "is no one you need to worry about. You fighting him only proved to Galina that you're a good addition around here. He's beneath you."

We walked down the steps to the garden, for once utterly silent. I stared at the flowers that grew all around the hedges and over some statues. Galina had probably spent thousands on this place.

"I'm tired," Rose said eventually, drawing to a stop. So we sat down right there, in the very middle of the maze, and then lay down to watch the stars.

There were thousands of them – millions, even. Maybe it was because we were so far away from Novosibirsk's intrusive lights, or because my eyes were now strong enough to see the world better. All I know is that I looked up at the night sky and found it hard to see the empty spaces between stars.

"This is amazing." Rose breathed. "What's it like for you?"

"Hmm?" I answered distractedly. _I wonder if I could count them. It's supposed to be impossible, but then again, so is my very existence…_

"There's enough light that I can see pretty clearly, but it's still dim compared to day. Your eyes are better than mine. What do you see? "

"For me, it's as bright as day." I answered, slightly amazed at this. "It could be like that for you, too."

"I don't know." Rose mused. "I kind of like the darkness."

I promptly dismissed the idea. "Only because you don't know any better."

_Four hundred and one, four hundred and two, four hundred and three shiny stars…_

"So you keep telling me."

I turned around and faced her. "Rose, this is driving me crazy. I'm tired of this waiting. I want us to be together. Don't you like this? What we have? It could be even better."

She sat up. "Why?"

_And… I'm lost_. "Why what?"

"Why do you want me?"

I blinked. "Why _wouldn't _I want you?"

That's when I heard it. I sat up and watched as Galina's dark outline stood between us and the stars.

I stood.

"You better pray there's a good explanation for this." She began in Russian, gesturing towards Rose.

"Explanations aren't necessary. We're not doing anything wrong, Galina."

"Oh, for God's sake, Belikov! You have Janine Hathaway's daughter – who you've taken great pains to assure me is an extremely capable, dangerous young woman – outside, completely unbound! Have you lost your mind?"

"No, _she_ has." Galina stared at me blankly. "Can't you smell it? There are enough endorphins in her system to take out an elephant. The girl's as high as a kite. She won't escape – not in this condition. She's not even protesting anymore."

"Nathan said she was coherent."

"Nathan insists on acting like a jealous kindergartener for reasons I cannot fathom." I replied. "I swear, she's not a threat. She can barely stand. Watch this."

I offered Rose my hand and pulled her up. "Rose, this is Galina. She's the one who's been kind enough to let you stay."

She gulped. "_Spasibo_."

I raised an eyebrow at Galina, as if to say "see? She's even thanking you!"

"Alright. The child's hardly dangerous – that much is clear." She admitted. "But you can't coddle her any longer, Dimitri. You _must_ turn her immediately."

"Galina, I –"

"No excuses. She was strong once, wasn't she?"

I nodded. "She was."

"And what was strong has a tendency to become so again, as I'm sure experience has taught you. So you must turn her now, Dimitri, and have her join the cause, or I shall have to do it myself." Galina's eyes flashed. "And that would be… unfortunate. For her, at least."

I felt my fists clench automatically. "Give me a week. I'll convince her."

"Why should she be convinced?"

"She's proud. Prouder than anyone I've ever known." I replied. "If we force her… she'll turn against us. I know she will."

Galina sighed. "Very well, then. You have three days."

"But –"

"I wouldn't test my patience if I were you, Dimka." She warned, voice frozen. "Count your blessings and start brainwashing her. After all, three's a magic number, isn't it?"

I nodded.

"Three days." Galina repeated, and went back into her house.

* * *

**First and foremost, people, my apologies. I know, I know. This took AGES. But vacations came, and then school started and the first weeks have been utterly and completely stressful, because the deadline for our short film contest was coming up and there was panic... so, yeah. And this chapter is 7 Word pages long to make up for all that. I actually had to cut the book scene in half so I could finally upload the damn thing.**

**Anyways, review and tell me about your winter break! Was there any drama? Kissing? Hate?**


	9. Chapter 9

"Come on, we should get back," I said, snapping Rose out of her shocked state. She followed me through the maze, tripping over the occasional rock.

"What did _she_ say?"

I figured twisting Galina's words a little might help speed the process of Rose making up her mind. "She doesn't like that you're still here. She wants me to awaken you… or kill you. "

Her voice shook. "Oh. Um, what are you going to do?"

"I'll wait a little longer and then… _I_ will make the choice for you."

"How long?"

"Not long, Roza. You need to choose." I informed her. "And make the _right_ choice."

"Which is?"

I gestured towards the house. "All of this. A life together. "

"And what then? Then I work for Galina too?" She asked.

I gave her a half-shrug. "For a while."

"How long is a while?"

I placed my hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Until we kill her, Rose. Until we kill her and take all of this for ourselves."

I kissed her violently, smashing her lips to mine, throwing her down on the bed. We crashed together repeatedly, like two opposite forces of nature, wild beyond human belief. Pain and pleasure wound their way around us, pushing us closer and closer together until I felt her bare skin against mine. She gasped.

I tore myself away. "No. Not yet. Not until you're awakened."

Rose was suitably desperate. "Why? Why does it matter? Is there… is there a reason we can't?"

"No, but it'll be so much better if you're awakened." I whispered, my lips dangerously close to her ear. "Let me do it… let me do it, and then we can do anything we want…"

Rose flinched – high as she might be, she was not stupid, and I realized she'd seen right through me, again. I was counting on the promise of sex to make her more willing, and she could obviously tell.

"No. I… I'm scared…"

And then I understood. Of course she was scared – who wouldn't be? Hell, I was scared of Lucia, in those first moments, scared of what the future would bring, and I was already a Strigoi! I could've hit myself for being such an idiot. No. Force was not going to convince her. But gentleness… that just might. "Rose, do you think I'd do _anything_ that would hurt you?"

She shook her head. "The bite… the turning would hurt…"

I ran a hand down her face. "I told you: It'll be just like what we've already done. You'll enjoy it. It won't hurt, I swear it."

Rose looked away. "I don't know."

"Galina's patience is running out. So is mine." I growled, moving towards the door.

"You said we still have time…" She protested half-heartedly. "I just need to think more…"

I sighed. "I have to go. I need to deal with some things."

"I'm sorry," Rose whispered, eyes pained.

I lunged forward and buried my teeth in her skin.

It was heaven, the kind of pleasure that is too huge to remember completely, too large for the human mind. Like flying, or crying with laughter, or even sex. It was just perfect happiness – but it only lasted for a moment or two.

Then I was done, and loopy Rose was back. She tried to give me a hug and was promptly dumped on the couch.

"I'll see you later." I said, going over to the door – again. "Remember, I want you—and I would never let anything bad happen to you. I'll protect you. But… I can't wait much longer."

Then I disappeared.

Lucia found me in the library, buried behind a pile of cowboy novels I'd found. "Someone looks pissed," she said, sitting down next to me. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." She gave me a stare. "Just problems with Hathaway… you know. She doesn't want to turn."

Lucia laughed. "Since when is what she wants important?"

"Trust me, it is."

She sighed. "Look, I understand that you don't want to turn her only to have her drive a stake into your heart, but she's been here for two weeks. It's time to face it, Dimka – she won't awaken willingly. Honestly, who would?"

My eyebrows flew up. "You regret this?"

"No! Of course not! But… I _do_ miss the sun."

"It's still worth it." I said. "Worth giving up the sun."

"But is it worth giving up love? Because we did, you know." Lucia stated flatly. "You're too young to have noticed, but I have, and it's not the same anymore. No butterflies, or even happiness. We traded all that in, and for what? Power?"

I shrugged. "Well, yes."

"I don't know. I think I'd like to feel that way again."

My mind was spinning in a thousand directions at once. I had never, for one second, heard a Strigoi even _hint_ at what Lucia was saying. All my life, I had been taught that Strigoi were cold, calculating, and cruel. And, the thing is, we were. I knew that I had changed, but it didn't bother me in the slightest. I felt better than ever.

Right?

Lucia went on. "And, for some reason, we still chase it. Love. Even though we _know_ we can no longer feel it, and say we don't want to. We long for it, but we can't have it, because it makes you weak – vulnerable – and our nature won't allow that anymore. The closest we can get is lust, which isn't like love at all, when you think of it. I guess it'd be pretty weird for a Strigoi to be willing to die for someone else, though, and that's what love _is_. Dying for someone else, I mean."

I stared.

Lucia sighed again. "I lost you, didn't I? Oh, well. Come on, it's time for us to fuck again. Can't feel love, but, damn, we try, don't we?"

And she took my hand to lead me to her room.

* * *

**So Strigoi can't love. We all know that - RM made it pretty clear. But that doesn't mean they don't wish they could, does it?**

**Think about it and review!**

**BTW, I have a new tumblr where I post some original stuff: ld007. tumblr. com. Follow me, darlings!**


	10. Chapter 10

**THROAT RIPPER STILL ON THE LOOSE**

_The police have yet to catch the dangerous serial killer that has been terrifying Novosibirsk over the course of these last few weeks. This person, presumably a tall male, usually leaves his dead victims in public parks and/or empty fields. His targets are all dark-haired, athletic females between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, with the exception of five-year-old Tanya Strzemskovska, who was killed alongside her mother. Our readers are advised to be extremely careful and avoid going out at night in small groups..._

I left her body in front of the mall, just to give the humans another thing to worry about. Her blonde hair I spread around her face like a halo, emphasizing the color. They had to know that no one was safe.

They had to know who was boss.

0Oo0o0o

"…I cannot have you hurting him, Dimitri. No, no, don't give me that look," Galina chided. "I mean it."

I sighed. "Look, Nathan's the one who started all of this."

"That may be so, but it takes two to fight, doesn't it?"

"Just because he's a jealous weakling –"

"See? Do you see what you do? You're constantly demeaning him, and, yes, what you say is the truth, but you have to remember that Nathan is on _our _side, weak or not. He's fighting for the same things you are, and that makes him your ally." She lowered her voice. "And weakening our allies makes us weaker by default."

I nodded. "I understand, Galina, but –"

"No buts." She growled. "You hurt him again and you're out of here. Have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal."

0Oo0Oo

Alright, I admit it – a couple of hours after my little chat with the queen bitch, I got hungry. That's why I went to see Rose, that day. Funny how fate works, isn't it? I mean, who would think that something as banal and irrelevant as an empty stomach could end up saving a life?

I panicked as soon as I heard the dull thud of a body hitting metal. Instantly alert, I looked around. Nathan had left his post in the hallway unattended, but that meant nothing. Anyone could be inside.

I punched a code into the first keypad, then again into the second. The door promptly flew open.

"Ow!"

I whirled towards the voice. Rose was on the floor, and bleeding all over it. Farther inside, the maid was crouching in front of a smug son of a bitch called – you guessed it – Nathan.

I was really starting to hate that name.

I took a step forward.

"Don't," he grinned. "You know what Galina said. Touch me and you're out of here."

I flew at him, pushing the servant out of my way. "It'll be worth facing her wrath, particularly when I tell her you attacked first. Rose certainly bears the marks of it."

"You wouldn't. _She_'ll tell the truth. "

I could've laughed. "You really think Galina will believe a human? No. When I tell her how you attacked me and Rose out of jealousy, she'll let me off. The fact that you'll be so easily defeated will be proof of your weakness. I'll slice your head off and get Rose's stake from the vault. With your last breath, you can watch her drive it through your heart."

He flinched, silent.

"Twice. Twice I've let you go." I whispered. "Next time… next time, you're gone."

"No." Nathan growled, striding to the door. "Twice I've let her live. Next time, she's gone. _I_'m the one in control here, not you."

He slammed the door behind Inna and himself before I could spit out a response. I turned to Rose, who was staring up at me, speechless. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. I knelt down beside her.

She burst into tears.

"This is your fault!" I roared.

"But he… he attacked me…"

"Yes. And Inna. A human!" I sneered. "You let a _human_ attack you. You are weak. You are incapable of defending yourself—all because you refuse to be awakened!"

I roughly pulled us both into a standing position. "If you had just been killed, it would have been your own fault. You have the chance for _immortality_, for incredible strength! And you're too blind and stubborn to see it."

She wiped her face and shook her head. "I don't think I'd be stronger than Nathan, even if I was turn—awakened."

I twirled a strand of her hair in my fingers. "Perhaps not initially, but your strength of body and will carries over with the change. He's not that much older than either of us—not enough to make a noticeable difference, which is why he keeps backing down when we fight. "

"Why do _you_ keep backing down?"

"Because he's right about one thing. Killing him would bring Galina's wrath down on us." I admitted. "And that's not something I can afford. Yet."

"You said before that you… that we… had to kill her." Rose replied.

"Yes, and once we do, it'll be easy to seize control of her assets and organization."

She frowned. "What _is_ her organization, exactly?"

"All sorts of things. This wealth isn't bought without effort." I said, making a sweeping gesture with my hand. The room, though trashed from the fight, looked as luxurious as any five-star hotel.

"Effort that's illegal and hurts humans?" Rose pushed.

"Does it matter?"

She looked away, shrugged. It obviously mattered – at least to her. "But Galina used to be your teacher. Can you really kill her? And I don't mean physically… I mean, doesn't it bother you? "

I thought about it for a moment. "I told you before. It's all about strength and weakness. Prey and predator. If we can bring her down—and I have no doubts we can —then she's prey. End of story."

Rose slowly backed away and sat down on the couch. "Why did Inna attack me? Why did she defend Nathan?"

"Because she loves him." My voice couldn't hide my disgust. I know, I know – that was pretty hypocritical of me, considering that I was in a relationship with a dhampir.

"But how…?"

"Who knows? Part of it is that he's promised to awaken her once she's put in time here. That's what most of the human servants are told. " I shrugged.

She cocked an eyebrow."Told?"

"Most are unworthy. Or, more often than not, someone gets hungry and finishes the human off."

Rose groaned and placed her head in her hands. "This is all a mess."

"It doesn't _have_ to be." I stepped closer. "Time's running out. I've been lenient, Roza. Far more lenient than I would be with anyone else."

"_Why_? Why have you done it?"

"Because I know how you think. And I know awakening you of your own free will would make you a more important ally." I then decided that a little flattery couldn't hurt. "You're independent and strong-minded—that's what makes you valuable."

She looked down, thoughtful. "An ally, huh?"

I ran a hand down the side of her face. "Didn't I tell you once I'd always be there for you? I'm here. I'll protect you. We're going to be together. We're _meant_ to be together. You know this."

I drew her to me and pressed my lips to hers.

Her fingers danced lightly on my shoulder. I kissed her cheek, the edge of her jaw, going down towards her neck…

"No." Rose shifted away.

Instinctively, I stopped. I'd had it burned into my brain that if a woman said no, you stopped, regardless of the circumstances. "What did you say?"

"Um, no. Not this time."

I pulled away to look at her, a little annoyed.

"I don't feel good," She began. "I'm hurt. I'm afraid to lose the blood, even though I want… I want it, I want to feel the bite. But I want to rest first, get stronger."

"Let me awaken you and you'll be strong again." I swore.

_Let me awaken you, and maybe then I'll be able to love you again. Maybe then I'll get my Rose back._

She looked away. "I know. And I'm starting to think…"

I drew in a breath. "Starting to think what?"

"I'm starting to think that I don't _ever_ want to be weak again." She answered. "Please… I just want to rest. I need to think about it a little more."

I looked at her – really looked at her, for the first time in weeks. Not at her body, not at her face, but into her eyes. My whole existence had been dictated by those eyes, not long ago. I knew Rosemarie Hathaway, and I could read her eyes.

"Rest, then, and we'll talk later." I decided. "But, Rose… we only have two days."

"Two days?"

I nodded. "Until Galina's deadline. That's how long she gave us. Then _I_ make the decision for you."

"You'll awaken me?" She guessed.

"Yes." The _of course_ was implied. "It'll be better for all of us if we don't reach that point."

I stood, ready to go, then took a bracelet out of my pocket. "Oh. I brought you this. "

"Wow. It's… it's gorgeous." Rose stuttered, snapping it on.

I smiled, kissed her on the forehead, and left, hoping whatever I'd seen in those strangely indecipherable eyes was the truth.

* * *

**My deepest apologies, darlings. Exams are killing me... and this chapter was incredibly hard to write. I wondwer why...**

**Anyway, did you like the newspaper article at the beginning? What do you think about the chapter/series in general? Tell me in a review, pretty please!**

**Lots of love,**

**Lissie.**

**PD: november21: Hmm. I don't know. I mean, just because you desire to be weak doesn't mean you actually are, so desiring love wouldn't make you weak, would it?**


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